We arrived in Ft. Lauderdale on Saturday November 17th around noon and what a mistake that was! There were 5 ships leaving Port Everglades that day and the airport was a madhouse! Note to self -- check out the port schedule before making air reservations next time!
Pre-cruise we stayed at the Comfort Suites in Miami near the MIA airport. Nice hotel, great rooms, not a very nice neighborhood. There was a Subway within walking distance where we picked up dinner, but other than that you needed a rental car or had to take a cab to get somewhere. Room was ready at check in and we signed up for the shuttle to take us to the port at 10:45 the next morning.
Shuttle service from the hotel was a bit confusing with the number of passengers traveling on the different ships that were leaving Port of Miami that day. We were on our way by 11:00 and since we were on the Pearl we were the first group dropped off.